24-Hour Stand-Down Ordered for Pope Air Force Base

You must enter the characters with black color that stand out from the other characters

GOLDSBORO — The military hopes the F-16 fighter crash is the end of a string of
accidents this week. A cargo jet crashed into a German plane Saturday,
killing more than 30 people. Sunday, a stealth fighter plummeted to the
ground during an air show. Monday night, a fighter jet fell into the
Pamlico Sound, killing two Marines. Then Tuesday night, two F-16 fighters
collided off the coast of New Jersey.

The military is coming off its safest year in the air. The accident rate
has been getting better for military aircraft but all of a sudden, the
bottom's dropped out. The spree of crashes has prompted the Pentagon to
make an unusual move.

With military aircraft falling out of the sky, the defense secretary
thinks it's time for a safety review. He's ordered a 24-hour stand-down
for each of the services so everyone can focus on safety.

Cpt. Dan Waters, C-130 pilot at Pope Air Force Base, said he understands
the need for a stand-down.

Safety is always on the minds of the troops in the air and on the ground.
The fighter and airlift squadrons at Pope Air Force Base routinely set up
safety sessions.

Waters said there is no mission worth risking people's lives.

Acuff said the stand-down would give the military a chance to take a
technical time-out.

Even with a big emphasis on safety, there will be accidents from time to
time, like this summer's helicopter crash at Fort Bragg and the EC-135's
rough landing at Pope.

"It's a lethal business, and these are dangerous machines," said Acuff.

The stand-down is another attempt to help minimize the risk. Training
flights will be grounded during the stand-down, however, operational flights
like those over Bosnia and Iraq will continue without interruption.

Copyright 2011 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.